Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Off the bat just to be clear, I love Christmas. This is not
a disparaging or cynical blog about it. The notion of calling it a benevolent
delusion is simply because, over the years, my beliefs have evolved (much as
everyone’s should) and though my love of Christmas will always be tremendous I
see the holidays a little differently each year. And as I re-watch many of my
favorite Christmas movies each season I often take new meaning from them,
despite having seen those dozens of times. If there’s spoilers in here for some
of you I do apologize. But I assume you’ve seen the film I’ll be focusing on, the
classic 1947 Miracle on 34thStreet. We’ll also be focusing mostly
on the American representation of both Christmas and Santa Claus since they are
and can be vastly different between countries. There may be historical and
contextual mention of Saint Nick in his various forms and the celebration of
the holiday across the centuries and continents but since this is a fairly
personal study done for myself it all ties back to what I and many of my peers
know best and what we grew up with, Christmas in the States.

My views on this beautiful film have shifted over the years.
As a child, a young adult, and even until 3 or 4 years ago, I always came to the
inevitable conclusion that Kris, the delightful old man in the film, WAS in
fact the real Santa Claus. His lawyer and friend Mr. Gailey even proves it in
court and according to US Law to boot! Of course along the way millions of
people share that idea including the fairly disillusioned Mrs. Doris Walker and
her impressionable yet open minded daughter Susan. But something that struck me
recently, as every year there always remains that shred of doubt, is the idea
that it absolutely does not matter. So long as no one gets hurt, what
difference does it make whether or not the man is or is not the real Santa
Claus.

Perhaps Kris, from the Brooks Maplewood Home for the Aged,
really is the big man himself. Perhaps, a bit like a western hero, he wanders
into different towns each year like a ghost, arriving to change its populations
for the better before disappearing off into the sunset (or the snow in this
case). He flies under the radar in order to better understand the people he
loves and why the human race is so deserving of gifts each and every year
despite some of those who seek to bring him down.

But on the flip side, perhaps he really is an elderly man
who suffers from a very powerful delusion, one in which people have conceded to
and allowed him to double down on precisely because it’s harmless and benevolent.
Whoever this man is, whether or not his birth name is Kris Kringle or John
Smith, he is a kind and loving man who suffered, at some point, from a break in
his personality. And the new personality that resulted is Santa Claus, the most
positive possible outcome. Dr. Pierce, from the Brooks home, in a brief scene
even acknowledges that he had a feeling they’d be asking questions about Kris
soon. But Kris’ delusions are not harmful to himself or his peers, rather he
only wants to help people. “He has no latent maniacal tendencies.”

And so Kris’ character traits follow suit in that he is
kind, loving, considerate, giving, a good listener, and most of all a person
who exists outside the norm of what society expects of him. And that last trait
is what inherently causes a schism in the public view of him. Is he or is he
not Santa Claus? And that concept is where this writing is basing its title.
Christmas is a benevolent delusion. The real and the fake aside, what Christmas
is to us in December 2015 is hardly the sum of its historical parts.

To any common sense possessing adult there is no such thing
as Santa Claus, at least not in the modern Coca Cola-esque depiction of him. It’s
a story we tell our children for myriad reasons, the foremost of which is to
help them behave by threatening the absence of presents and the presence of
coal in their stead. However, Saint Nicholas (or Nikolaos in his original
Greek) was a real 4th century bishop, and later named Saint, who had
a reputation for secret gift giving. (His history as a real man is quite
extensive so I encourage you to do some research for those interested.)
Obviously this aspect of his personality, among a few others, contributes to
the modern notion of the American Santa Claus.

Christmas is overall an incredibly complex and strange
holiday. Historically many of the traditions we practice today either in the
States or overseas are the result of the inevitable change that occurs in our
cultures. For instance in the 17th Century in many places cross
dressing between couples was a Christmas tradition. As was wassailing. What is
now seen as the delightful spirited holiday beverage or sometimes as singing
door to door, wassailing was once a tradition practiced at Christmas time when
the rich or middle class would be obligated to allow the poor, or “wassailers”,
many of them young aggressive men and underage boys, into their homes and
provide them food and drink. If they were refused they might vandalize the home
or practice a number of tricks to taunt the homeowners and families. The
lyrics, “now bring us some figgy pudding…we won’t go until we got some” harkens
back to this. So traditionally wassailing was an incredibly drunken and
oftentimes violent tradition that many people dreaded and hated. Christmas,
therefore, was not always cause for merriment and good will but cause for
contempt and fear.

Many countries, the pilgrims included (the ones who
celebrated the first Thanksgiving), outlawed it. It was illegal to celebrate
something that had nothing to do with their spirituality but had more to do
with public drunkenness and gross misconduct. It also got in the way of being
productive. William Bradford, probably the most notable Pilgrim of those who
landed on Plymouth rock in 1621, found 3 men celebrating Christmas by taking
the day off work. He ordered them back to work otherwise they would face
penalty.

So the easy, breezy way in which we see Christmas (both
presently and classically) is the furthest from the holiday’s nearly 2,000 year
history. But my goal is not to set fire to the good ol’ American Christmas by
dropping casual historical notes and wagging my finger, quite the opposite in
fact. As time has gone on the holiday has become representative of many things.
Sure materialism and black Friday shopping may be among them, but so is the
desire to spread peace on earth and good will toward humankind. And that is
something that has existed since the beginning of the human race.

The internet and our infinite connectivity and access to any
and all information we desire has made it very easy for us to only see the dark
side of the holidays, to see people “for what they really are”. The quotes
meaning that I know many folks who believe that at our core we are a sick
species, a bit of a plague really, that exists only to consume and not to
contribute, and is, over time, systematically destroying itself by emphasizing self-importance,
money, taking and receiving, purposefully remaining ignorant and prejudiced,
and nurturing a lust for guns and subsequently war.

But I think that’s all hogwash. And I think that’s the kind
of thing that Kris in Miracle on 34th
Street looks to make us aware of. Doris (Mrs. Walker) is, by 1947’s
standards, representative of the cultural mindset that it’s more important we
not believe in “fairy tales” because they are more harmful than the truth. And
the truth is plain and simple. There is no Santa and people are simply good or
bad and that’s the end of it. Arguing the notions of faith and spirituality and
belief is childish nonsense because it isn’t tangible. But in a beautiful
moment, Mr. Gailey points out:

“Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you
not to. Don’t you see it’s not just Kris that’s on trial? It’s everything he
stands for. Its kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.”

Christmas is presently (and even 68 years ago) a time in
which believing in things that are not classified as common sense is okay to
do. For children it’s okay to believe in Santa. Even if we approach it from a
biblical perspective as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, that kind of faith
requires much the same. Historically we know there was a man, a great rabbi,
who inspired the Jesus we believe in today. But to make the argument that his
birth, life, death, and resurrection occurred exactly the way the bible says it
did and exactly the way we celebrate and believe today is highly unlikely. (And
let’s not forget I myself am Christian, although a very different kind of
Christian.) To many I’ve just uttered a very blasphemous statement. But history
has proved that Christmas traditions have so evolved over the centuries that to
say it was always about peace, love and understanding is equally blasphemous. Sometimes
people respect history only and do not embrace the spirit. Sometimes people
focus only on the spirit and turn a blind eye to history. But Christmas, and
many other holidays, are the in between frame of mind. We sometimes give more
credit to intangibles and sometimes more credit to common sense when at the end
of the day it should be an endeavor to find a balance between the two.

“Christmas isn’t just a day. It’s a frame of mind. And that’s
what’s been changing. That’s why I’m glad I’m here, maybe I can do something
about it.”

Kris’ quote above encapsulates both his character and the
importance of allowing and encouraging a benevolent delusion. What we believe
in, in 2015 that is supposedly based upon history or actual events is a far cry
from “the truth”. And that “truth” is something we will never know with 100%
certainty. Without the aid of time travel and being physically present for
certain events, the resulting belief based on those events is stood up on a
fair amount of supposition. But what rings true for us is what we feel in our
hearts. Why else would the notion of peace on earth and good will toward
humankind remain so prevalent for thousands of years?

And so we the word delusion becomes almost as a representation
for “belief”, believing in things when common sense tells you not to. But as
Kris’ first doctor points out, some delusions are harmless and are in fact
helpful to those who believe in them and the people who are affected by their
delusions. Once the delusion becomes harmful, then it becomes something dangerous.
We see this in both strictly religious groups and those who are not, whose
definition of what things are “supposed to be” is incredibly rigid and
unwavering. “The truth” requires shutting out non-believers and those who
disagree with you because they are different from you or believe different
things than you.

The grand point is that while to some “Jesus is the reason
for the season”, to many others good will and gift giving is their reason. And
all of these reasons are okay. Christmas has become an amalgamation of so many
different things that to isolate it as one thing is to do it a great
disservice. And oftentimes this isolation is backed by incredible hypocrisy.
Many of our present day traditions are hijacked from other religions and walks
of life, like the pagans. So to steal from history then turn your back on it
and say it’s about Jesus is blatant ignorance. Jesus doesn’t care what
decorations are in your house, he cares how you decorate your heart. And to the
many others who find Christmas as just a day and nothing more with a bit of a
Scrooge-like attitude, that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s okay not
to celebrate. But don’t foster a sort of contempt for those who do like to buy
the occasional peppermint mocha or imbibe in a little shopping because that’s
all okay too. Because Christmas is not just a day, it is a frame of mind. It is
believing in peace on earth and good will toward humankind when all other signs
point toward it not. It’s giving from the heart when your peers say it’s simply
about materialism. It’s finding rest at the end of a weary year, or finding a
little spirit in your glass at the end of a long day. So long as no one gets
hurt, what’s the harm in believing in Christmas? What difference does it make
whether or not Kris is or is not the real Santa?

And for that matter what’s the harm in believing in the
spirit of whatever you want to? Though I’ve always celebrated Christmas I’ve
never understood the sort of contempt some believers have for others. The “this
is a Christian nation” mentality has hurt us tremendously, because we are not
just a Christian nation. We are a melting pop of beautiful differences. And to
not respect someone else’s beliefs, especially at Christmas time, is to do the
exact opposite of what your belief is about.

Whether it’s celebrating Santa or Yule, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, or
Festivus (for the rest of us), these are all frames of mind and all born from humankind’s inherent
inclination toward goodness and light. Despite our beliefs and holidays having
spun out of history and found a new identity in the 21st century, we
should love one another during the holidays and all year through. And if at the
end of the day, the year, or our lives we find that there’s little more to this
life than the present, then that’s the greatest present of all. If technically
speaking peace on earth, goodwill toward humankind, and love for your neighbor
is simply a frame of mind, then God bless us everyone for embracing those
things. Who are they hurting? Christmas is, after all, simply a benevolent
delusion.